Family, friends grieve after American college student is stabbed to death while studying in the Netherlands
A 21-year-old college student from Minnesota was fatally stabbed in the Netherlands on Wednesday, where she was studying at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Sarah Papenheim was attacked in her apartment about a mile from Erasmus University’s campus, the local newspaper Algemeen Dagblad reports. Police reportedly arrested her roommate, a 23-year-old Dutch man, at a train station in Eindhoven. It’s unclear what motive he may have had for killing Papenheim. His identity has not yet been made public.
Papenheim was a drummer and reportedly got along with her roommate in the beginning because they were both musicians. But her mother, Donee Odegard, told the Star Tribune that the local police and Papenheim’s boyfriend said the roommate had been “getting more and more angry” over the last few weeks.
#NewProfilePic pic.twitter.com/A7GIXeg3TA
— Sarah Papenheim (@Papenheim_Time) December 9, 2018
A friend started a GoFundMe page to help Papenheim’s family bring her home, estimating that travel, funeral and burial costs will amount to about $40,000.
“Sarah was a beautiful, vibrant young woman and a talented musician with a smile that could light up a room,” the page reads. “She played with some of the best musicians on the scene in the Twin Cities and had many close relationships with them. Her presence is irreplaceable.”
Papenheim’s older brother died three years ago, making her death even more devastating. “My only two kids, and I’ve lost them both,” Odegard told the Star Tribune.
The college student was reportedly supposed to return to Minnesota for the holidays and had a show scheduled at the Schooner Tavern in Minneapolis on Dec. 22. Her Facebook page was quickly flooded with messages from friends and fellow musicians explaining what she meant to them.
“Rest In Peace and fly high angle,” one wrote. “This world was lucky to have such a precious soul.”
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